Have you ever heard the saying that your friends are the family you get to choose? I'm a firm believer in this. Don't get me wrong; I love my family. I love them in all their quirky, crazy glory. That being said, my friends are pretty quirky too.
On Sunday, we're heading over to Lancaster to our friends', Tom and Katelyn, place for a Friends' Thanksgiving. Tom and Katelyn are taking care of the bird and the beer and everyone else is pitching in with the sides. It's kind of a dry run for the actual Thanksgiving with all of our real families on Thursday.
I signed up for dessert, naturally. I am bringing Cheesecake-Filled Pumpkin Cupcakes from last month's issue of Everyday with Rachael Ray. I've never made them but they just sound and look so good! I've included the recipe below in case you want to try it out too.
Oh and a word of advice... Because of the rainy weather this fall, there was a pumpkin shortage at harvest time. It might be a good idea to get your canned pumpkin for all your baking/cooking purposes ahead of time, not the night before Thanksgiving dinner. A shortage of pumpkins means a shortage of the canned variety come Thanksgiving!
Cheesecake-Filled Pumpkin Cupcakes
By Silvana Nardone
Makes 1 dozen
Prep: 45 minutes
Bake: 25 minutes
Ingredients
-One 8-ounce package cream cheese, at room temperature
-½ cup confectioners' sugar
-2 large eggs, plus 5 large egg whites
-2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
-1½ cups flour
-2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
-1½ teaspoons baking powder
-¾ teaspoon salt
-1 cup canned pumpkin puree
-1 cup granulated sugar
-½ cup vegetable oil
-1 cup light brown sugar
-Simmering water
-3 sticks (12 ounces) unsalted butter, cut into tablespoon-size pieces and chilled
1. Place a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat to 350-degrees. Line a 12-cup muffin pan with baking liners. Using an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese and confectioners' sugar for 3 minutes. Beat in 1 egg white and ½ teaspoon vanilla.
2. In a bowl, whisk the flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking powder and ½ teaspoon salt. In another bowl, mix the pumpkin puree, 2 eggs, granulated sugar, oil and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Whisk in the flour mixture.
3. Layer each muffin cup with some of the pumpkin batter, then the cream cheese mixture, then more of the batter. Bake until springy to touch, 25 minutes. Let cool.
4. Using the electric mixer, beat the brown sugar, remaining 4 egg whites and remaining ¼ teaspoon of salt. Fill a medium saucepan with enough simmering water to reach a depth of 1 inch; place the mixing bowl on top. Whisk the mixture until it reaches 160-degrees on an instant-read thermometer.
5. Transfer the bowl back to the mixer and beat at high speed until fluffy; lower the speed and beat to room temperature, about 5 minutes. Add the butter, 1 tablespoon at a time, then beat at high speed for 5 minutes. Beat in the remaining ½ teaspoon of vanilla.
6. Transfer the frosting to a pastry bag; pipe large rosettes on top of the cupcakes.
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